In The Blazing Heat
by Kraven Ergeist
Summary: Kellen is down on his luck, trying to scrape by in Mos Espa. In a spontaneous act of conscience, he buys a Twi'lek slave for the purpose of setting her free. Now, he's flat broke, and has a very big responsibility on his hands. CHAPTER 6 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Star Wars Fan Fiction**

**In The Blazing Heat**

By Kraven Ergeist

A/N: Another side story Star Wars fic concerning another made up character I invented for the purpose of this fic. May be some more well known characters later on. This takes place during the reign of the old republic, except it occurs out on Tatooine, so the influence of the republic is rather small.

Chapter One

Kellen had fallen on some hard times. This had been the third job he'd lost this month, and his funds were falling dangerously low. He had come all the way out to Mos Espa from his parents' moisture farm to put his education to some real use and earn some money for his family to live on. But so far, it hadn't looked too promising. He may have known his way around the holonet, and any kind of problem it could pose, be it programming errors, viral infections, lost data, or missing computer part, but no matter where he went, there always seemed to be a better man, woman or some unidentifiable alien species for the job.

He had skipped over the desperation phase, and was now looming dangerously over despair. He wanted, needed to, at very least, return home with some sort of earning, some token of his achievements, something to show that his efforts had not been wasted. But no matter what he thought of, all he could picture was the disappointed look on his father's face, the poorly masked grief on that of his mother's, and the burden of having failed to meet his family's expectations.

If he were on any planet aside from Tatooine, he'd swear it should be pouring rain. It would suit the image so greatly if it would – the way he trudged home to his dinky apartment-complex, head hung in despair, another washed up nerf herder, failing to get by in this neck of the galaxy.

"Step right up folks! This is a one in a million chance to get your hands on the most dazzling creature on the outer rim!"

Kellen turned his head up to see the long, pointy head of an old looking Anx, and what looked like an entire speeder cart of downtrodden alien creatures, ranging from Wookies, Squibs, Noghri, Ugnaughts, to Humans like him. It made him shudder to think that each of them was bound for a life of harsh servitude followed most likely by a painful, humiliating death.

"This lovely young lady has been groomed to perfection to take care of all your needs," the Anx rattled on his sales pitch. "Her massages are second to none, her dancing promises to leave you spellbound! And she can be yours for the low price of…"

Kellen lost all perception of the slaver's prattling as he laid eyes on the creature at the end of his chain.

It was a red skinned Twi'lek female, adorned in about as few body wraps as were legally allowed, her lekku head tails wrapped to the tip in black leather. Though her head hung low, her face averted from everyone, her eyes came up and made contact with Kellen's for the briefest of moments…

"You sir, you look like a fine, strapping young man, on his way up in the world!" the slaver called out to him. "What do you say to this fine beauty?"

Kellen had to fight to draw his attention away from the gorgeous Twi-lek. "Uh…I'm sorry…what?"

The slaver just smiled. "Stunning, ain't she? The red skin means she's a Lethan Twi'lek, one of the rarest in the galaxy, and this baby has been raised from birth to serve her master. No worries though, she's still untouched if you know what I mean. That particular honor is reserved for-"

"How much?"

"I'm sorry?"

Kellen wasn't even looking at the slaver. He was still focused on the Twi'lek. As gorgeous as she was, it was her eyes that seemed to captivate him the most. Her eyes that were silently pleading, begging to be set free from this life of imprisonment. For her to have only known slavery, for her to be doomed to this for the rest of her life…

It was unlike Kellen to act so impulsively. He didn't honestly think he could afford her anyway. But some part of his brain told him that the least he could do is check to see if he could buy her out of this life of servitude.

"Normally slaves fetch a higher price, but I am a bargaining man, no?" The Anx gloated. "So for this catch, I would say…50,000 credits."

Kellen checked his pockets. Not enough.

His brain told him to walk away. He didn't want to have anything more to do with this. But something in the back of his mind told him this couldn't end here.

"20,000."

"Are you mad!? I've already given you an incredible discount!"

"30,000."

"40,000, if you forgo the package with the chain and whip. No lower!"

"Normally slaves go for over 100,000 credits," Kellen pondered aloud. "For you to offer them at such a discount must mean there is something pretty contraband about these slaves. Maybe they didn't meet the inspections requirements? Or are carrying some sort of disease? Either way, I don't think you want the Hutts digging into the matter."

The Anx's eyes narrowed, his yellow skin taking on a darker hue. "Are you threatening me, sir!?"

Kellen remained calm. "Are you calling my bluff?"

The Anx fixed Kellen with a stern glare that Kellen threw back with equal intensity. Finally, the Anx seemed to grow tired of the ordeal, and let out a sigh.

"35,000. Any lower is theft."

Kellen double-checked his last earnings. He had enough.

"But at this rate, she comes with nothing but the clothes on her back," the angry Anx declared, unchaining the Twi'lek from his speeder cart. "And don't you come back! I don't want anymore trouble from you!"

He muttered a few words in Twi'leki before giving her a harsh shove in Kellen's direction. Kellen caught her in his arms instinctively, and was amazed at how tiny she felt in his arms. Working long hours on his parents' farm had sculpted him into a well-cut young man, and while he didn't consider himself physically fit, he could surely hold his own in a fistfight. As a result, the tiny Twi'lek felt like a starved animal, and when his fingers touched her skin, he could feel she was trembling.

He held her at arms length and stared at her. Her face, while remaining pointed at the ground, was raised just high enough to sneak the occasional glance up at him. Kellen blushed at the scrutiny, and glanced down at her body. She didn't appear to be unhealthy, she seemed rather scrawny, and if her trembling was anything to go by, Kellen could tell she probably hadn't eaten in days.

"Come on," he said to her kindly. "Let's get you something to eat."

She said nothing. She didn't move.

Kellen held out an arm in the direction of the street. "Come, this way."

This, she seemed to understand, and followed obediently behind him as he strode down the path. Every time he paused to allow her to catch up to him, she stopped, remaining behind him at all times. Finally, he reached back and took her hand in his and practically pulled her alongside himself. At this, she seemed to be confused, but eventually got the idea that he wanted her to walk beside him.

What had he just done!? Kellen had practically wasted the entirety of his funds on this girl, and for what? Just to ensure that one Twi'lek girl go free? Yes, slavery was a horrible practice that still went on despite the Republic's anti-slavery laws. Yes, he found it revolting! Yes, he wanted to, if he could, set every slave free, but the fact of the matter was, he lived in the real world, and if he didn't look after himself, he wouldn't last much long, let alone be able to support even one more hungry mouth to feed.

Which begged the question: What now? Sure, it made sense to buy a slave for the purpose of setting them free, but the horrible truth of the matter was, most slaves didn't know how to live. None of them had any of the basic life skills needed to get proper work and support themselves. Twi'lek females in particular, even those coming from upstanding families, still sometimes sank to the darker corners of the underworld, especially on Tatooine. And this girl, who had been raised since birth for the sole intention of making her a slave…

But something about this girl had struck him. Was it her eyes? The look of tortured desperation in her face? The knowledge that this had been all she'd known in life? The knowledge that this was all she ever would know? Kellen couldn't guess. But he was committed now – the Anx clearly wouldn't be giving him a refund should he change his mind. His parents would most likely not be pleased.

He'd have to get rid of her at some point, he realized. He just simply couldn't support her. If he took her to his parents, begging for alms, they would surely disown him, thinking he had gotten hitched to some back alley bimbo. It made him sad to realize he could do so little for her. At least, setting her free gave her a chance she might live up to something more.

At any rate, he'd have to keep her around for at least a little while. There was a sand storm coming his way, and they'd just barely make it to his shabby little apartment as it was.

"Here," he paused, taking the bantha wool cloak off his back and draped it over her bare shoulders. "We've got to hurry."

She hadn't spoken a word to him, and nothing about the way she acted made him think that she understood a word of what was coming out of his mouth. So, once again, he took her by the hand and hurried along the hard packed sandy path to his rented corner of a sandstone hut on the east end of Mos Espa.

He scanned his data card and the door whooshed open, revealing a sparsely furnished single room apartment complex. With the exception of the refresher unit, the living, dining and sleeping area were all in the same room. Although what passed for a dining area was just a low floor table with a single frozen food box and steamer, and the living area was basically a couch. The holopad he carried with him was about the only source of entertainment, and that was solar powered, so it would only last a few more hours before it shut down.

Kellen opened up the food box and removed two slabs of frozen bantha flank steak and put it in the steamer. He couldn't help but notice the Twi'lek eying the steaming food, occasionally licking her lips. She must have been starving.

After heating it, he set one of the two slabs on a plate with a knife and fork, and watched how she handled herself. Apparently, slaves weren't raised to eat at civilized tables, for she simply overlooked the knife and fork and picked the piece of meat up in her hands and began gnawing on the entire piece.

"No, no…" Kellen said, holding a hand out.

The Twi'lek looked confused and set the food back onto her plate. Her mouth was watering, but she still obeyed the command, probably under fear of the lash.

Kellen sighed and picked up her knife and fork and cut the flank steak into bite sized pieces. She watched in fascination as he skewered a single piece on her fork and offered it to her.

She looked at the metal instrument for a moment, before leaning forward to bite the piece of steak off the fork he was holding. She closed her eyes as she ate – Kellen could see how hungry she was, and could only imagine how good the steak must have tasted to one raised on slave rations. He offered her the fork, and she experimentally skewered another piece of steak, and stuffed it into her mouth. Then another. Then another.

Kellen smiled, and started on his own steak. He was barely half finished when the Twi'lek wolfed down the last of her food, and was eying his hungrily.

He sighed and pushed his plate across the table to her. "Go ahead…"

A look of delight spread across her face, and she gobbled up the rest of his share. Kellen couldn't help but smile. Retrieving two water canisters from the freezer, he opened them both and offered her one just as she was finishing her meal. She took the canister eagerly and guzzled down the precious water. Kellen doubted she'd been afforded much to drink either.

He drank down half of his canister and offered the rest to her, which she didn't hesitate to drink.

This girl was going to start straining his resources pretty soon. He had maybe enough food and water for another week or so. If he didn't get rid of her, high tail it home, or find another job by then, he was bantha fodder.

"So, do you have a name?" Kellen asked, making conversation as he wiped her face clean with a towel. There was obviously a lot he'd have to teach this girl.

She didn't respond. She just looked at him, curiously. No doubt, she was wondering why he was being so generous with her. That or calculating how much she could get out of him.

"What is your name?" he asked again.

He was wasting his time – she didn't speak basic. He'd have to find a translator droid if he wanted to make any headway with this girl. Maybe he could find a program on the holonet.

"Look…" Kellen put his hand on his chest. "Kellen."

He put a hand on her shoulder, trying to get the message across.

Obviously, it wasn't working.

"Kellen," he tried again, tapping his chest. "Kel-len."

Again, he placed his hand on her smooth red shoulders. Again, she said nothing. Gods, why was she wearing so little? She was bound to freeze at night so much skin was showing. And it was awfully distracting, the black leather body wraps covering her feet, waist and chest. Not only did they not leave much to the imagination, but the black complimented her red skin gorgeously, clouding his mind with unholy thoughts.

This did not bode well. He wasn't about to share his bed with her. That just wouldn't do. It'd be no different than had he bought her with the intention of actually using her as a slave. She would have to take the couch, but it was doubtful he'd be able to communicate this to her. Gods, the girl didn't understand him at all.

Giving up trying to get her name, he took her by the hand and stood up, pulling her to her feet. He then led her to the couch, and gently sat her down on it. Pulling the bantha wool cloak off his back once again, he draped it over her so that she wouldn't freeze.

"So…it's time to go to sleep now, so…" he made a gesture with his two hands under the side of his face. "You can sleep here tonight, ok?"

She just looked back up at him, curiously.

Kellen sighed, making his way over to his bed on the other side of the room and kicking his boots off before plunking down on the bed. He glanced back at the Twi'lek, who hadn't moved from her sitting position with his cloak draped carelessly over her shoulders.

"So…goodnight…" Kellen waved before hitting the light switch on the wall next to his bed. He laid his head down and went to sleep.

In a matter of moments, he heard a rustling sound over by the couch, and he smiled. She must have gotten the idea after all.

Then he felt something in his bed with him, and he immediately switched the lights back on.

Stang, this girl could move fast when she wanted to!

"Hey!" he yelped at the Twi'lek, who had settled in right next to him on his bed. "What are you doing here?"

She said nothing. She did nothing. She just stared up at his face, a look of pure innocence on her face.

"Get back on the couch," Kellen pointed. "There's not enough room for two on this thing."

She just stared at him.

"Go!"

She didn't move.

Why wasn't she listening to him? He was pointing, she must have realized what he wanted her to do. She had obeyed his instructions earlier over soothing her own hunger, what was making her stop now?

Kellen let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine…"

He got up out and bed, leaving her there, and settled down on the couch himself.

"Good night!"

He flipped the lights off and rolled over.

Moments later…

CLICK.

"Oh come on!" he groaned, seeing her this time curled up next to him on the couch. She was barely staying on, clutching his body for support, which she promptly lost as he got back to his feet.

"Make up your rutting mind!" Kellen growled, making his way back to his own bed.

He kept his eyes on her this time, waiting for her to move. She still sat there on the couch, looking curiously at him.

"You stay there now…" Kellen pointed again. "Stay!"

After a short pause, he lied back down on his bed and turned off the lights.

Sure enough…

CLICK.

"We're really gonna have to work on this, missy…" he sighed as he stared down at the still innocent look on her face. She was practically on top of him now. Each time he switched beds, she had drawn a little closer to him. Was that what she thought he wanted? For her to sleep closer to him? It's not that he really minded, but her skin just felt so smooth, and the contact was driving him mad! Her body was so warm to the touch, and he wouldn't have possible been able to get to sleep with her holding him like this.

As though in the hopes of pleasing him, she then wrapped her legs around his waist, further closing the distance between them. The conjoining of her legs met him squarely in the lower abdomen, and her barely concealed breasts were pressed up against his chest.

"Gods…" he clenched his eyes shut. "You're impossible…"

He couldn't have guessed why the Anx trader had given him the discount he had. Maybe he was trading damaged goods, maybe he wasn't. Whatever reason the slaver felt this girl had fallen short, it was not for her lack of sexual appeal.

"I'm not doing this," Kellen muttered down at her still innocent looking eyes. "You understand? I'm not about to go through with this. As soon as I find you some decent work, you're out of here. I'm not your master, and you're not my slave. And I'm not about to take you, not now, not like this."

The Twi'lek blinked, before unwrapped her arm from his back and placed a hand on her chest.

"Talia…"

Kellen blinked. "What?"

Her eyes glimmered, and for the first time since he first saw her, she was smiling.

"My name…" she said in a soft, waxy voice. "Is Talia."


	2. Chapter 2

**Star Wars Fan Fiction**

**In The Blazing Heat**

By Kraven Ergeist

A/N: The more I write this, the more I think I'm basically writing a Star Wars version of Chobits. Well, the nature of the story is about the same as Chobits, but hopefully, Talia won't come off as annoying as Chii.

Chapter Two

The next morning, Kellen promptly downloaded a translator program. While Talia had seemingly picked up a bit of basic, it was not enough for them to properly translate. That being said, he'd been unable to get a straight answer out of her as to why she felt like sleeping with her arms and legs around him all night. His back was still cramped from that particular experience, though thank goodness she didn't seem to expect much else out of him.

When morning came around, and it came time to use the refresher unit, Kellen's decision had been pretty clear. He did want anything more embarrassing than last night to happen. He just couldn't be sure enough.

"Hello. I am D-12C, protocol AI, trial version," the computerized voice came from his holopad as the holographic image of a protocol droid popped up from the screen. "To purchase the full program, simply selec-"

"How many languages do you speak?" Kellen interrupted the program's sales pitch.

"I am fluent in over 5,000,000 forms of communication, however, for this trial version, you may select only three from my list. For more, you'll have to purchase the full package."

"Hmm…" Kellen mused, accessing one of his pirating programs. "We'll see about that…"

All the while, Talia watched in fascination as he worked, the holographic head of a protocol droid floating in the air above his holopad.

After messing with a few knobs and whistles, he restarted the program.

"Thanks you for purchasing the D-12C full version. If you could, please take the time to fill out our customer satisfaction surv-"

"Do you speak Twi'leki?" Kellen interrupted.

"Certainly, sir. I am fluent in over 5,000,000-"

"I've got a Twi'lek princess here who knows about three words in basic," Kellen said, throwing a look at Talia, who just smiled back. "She needs to use the refresher. Ask her if she's capable of using one on her own."

The holographic head turned toward Talia and spoke a few words in gibberish that Talia seemed startled at first to hear, but then after a few exchanges, the holo-droid turned back to Kellen.

"Gracious me…" the holo-droid exclaimed. "I thought you said she was a princess! This girl claims to be a slave!"

"Yeah, well, treat her like a princess," Kellen said, grumpily. He was not a morning person. "Explain to her that as long as she lives here, she won't be treated like a slave. She's going to get the respect that any normal person gets, but she's also going to have to pull her own weight, and needs to learn a few basic manners and customs. Like bathing herself – I'm not about to go in there and wash her back for her."

The holo-droid conveyed this. Talia seemed startled at first, then astonished, then confused, and then finally began to look away shyly as she spoke.

"Goodness," the holo-droid exclaimed. "She says that while she's sure she could figure it out, that particular task always fell to someone else. She requests, sir, that you do her the honor of bathing her."

Kellen's ears lit up. He looked away, bashfully. "If she can bathe herself, then that's what she should do!"

The holo-droid translated and Talia looked crestfallen.

Kellen sighed. "Can you tell her that I'm sorry, but I just don't feel comfortable with doing something like that with someone as…attractive as her?"

The holo-droid complied and Talia looked even shyer. She muttered a few words in Twi'leki and the holo-droid translated.

"She says she'll do it herself."

Kellen sighed and pointed to the refresher. "Good. It's right over there."

Talia bowed her head and wandered into the refresher, and closed the door.

Kellen sighed. "Alright, now that I have a moment's peace, what can you tell me about Twi'leks? Where do they come from? What do they like to eat?"

"Twi'leks are an omnivorous humanoid species originating from the planet Ryloth," the holo-droid explained. "They tend to eat cultivated molds, fungi, and rycrit meat."

"Not likely to find any of that floating around here," Kellen mused. "She seemed to like bantha steak well enough. Can you tell me about the level of education and training that comes from being raised as a slave?"

"That varies depending on the slaver," the holo-droid said. "I would have to ask her myself to get the specifics, but most Twi'lek females are enslaved for their natural grace and exotic beauty. Many Twi'leks actually encourage the slave market on their own planet. Some see it as a chance to make money by kidnapping or selling orphaned children, while others see slavery as a way of saving children from growing up in Ryloth's harsh environment. A number of Twi'leks believe that slavery is an efficient way to proliferate their species and preserve their culture, as the Twi'leks lack their own means of inter-planetary travel. Regardless of how it came about, many Twi'leks live as slaves or entertainers and are considered status symbols, especially the females of rarer skin hues: the Rutian and Lethan Twi'leks."

"Lethan…" Kellen muttered. "That's what that slaver said Talia was."

"Correct," D-12C said. "The red skin of Lethan Twi'leks was caused by a mutation of their genetic code."

Kellen nodded. "I see. Alright Dee, I'll be honest – I bought Talia from a slave trader, but I have no intention of using her as a slave. My goal is to eventually let her go free, but right now, she doesn't seem capable of standing on her own two feet, especially on Tatooine."

"You may want to rethink that goal, sir," the holo-droid said. "All recorded Twileks that have managed to escape from captivity usually turned to a life of thievery, using their powers of seduction as their primary tool."

Kellen frowned. "I was afraid of that."

Suddenly, there was a loud thud from inside the refresher unit.

"Sir, is there anything else you would like to know about the Twi'leks?" The holo-droid asked as Kellen got to his feet. "I have access to stored data on their religion and clan system-"

"Not now, Dee!" Kellen barked as he stepped up to the door of the refresher. He knocked urgently on the door. "Hello? Talia? Are you okay in there?"

He heard a pained stream of Twi'leki, which caused D-12C to let out a shout. "Oh my…she seems to be calling out for help!"

Kellen drew in his breath and pressed the button to open the door.

"Talia!"

Kellen rushed into the refresher unit, and froze.

There was Talia, naked as the day she was born, her red skin soaking wet from the refresher shower, lying on the floor, cradling what looked to be a bruised knee.

She looked up at Kellen's blushing face woefully.

"Kellen… she whined in pain, and then spoke a few words in Twi'leki.

"She says that she fell," the holo-droid mentioned. "Sir, if I may, you should probably try and assist Miss Talia here instead of gawking at her."

Kellen's voice caught in his throat, and he quickly averted his gaze. "Ah…right…" he felt the wall for a towel and tried to crouch down next to her without looking directly at her.

A poor choice, as it turned out. Talia's fall had resulted in a significant amount of water landing on the floor. Kellen's bare feet suddenly slipped out from under him.

"Whoa-whoa!" Kellen let out a shout as he lost balance and pitched forward, the towel flying out of his hands. He caught himself on Talia's shoulders, who was caught completely off guard and fell onto her back on the refresher unit floor.

Kellen was now on top of Talia, her naked body covered only by his own, more clothed form. His eyes opened, and he could see her face staring back at his, a look of shock, fear, and – surely he was imagining it – desire?

"K-Kellen…" she said shyly, looking away. She said a few bashful words in Twi'leki.

The voice of the holo-droid came from outside the refresher. "She says that if you wish to do it here, then that would be okay with her."

Kellen's voice caught in his throat. "Err…wait…no! That's not what I intended to do at all!"

Cautiously reaching out to where the towel had landed, Kellen pulled back just enough to cover her body with the sterile white piece of cloth.

"Tell her I'm sorry I fell on her, and that I was just coming in to make sure she was alright."

The holo-droid rattled off a translation, and Talia bit her lip. As if remembering her bruised knee, she reached down and gently nursed it, wincing. The look she gave Kellen needed no translation.

"Here…" he got up off of her and took her hand, hoisting her to her feet. The towel nearly slipped off her body and Kellen grabbed the towel by the edges, hoisting it up to its proper place.

"Dee, tell her to keep herself covered!" Kellen hollered, red faced.

When the holo-droid translated, she wrapped the towel around herself. She uttered a few troubled words at him.

"She asks if her body is not pleasing to you."

Kellen nearly chocked. "Is she kidding!? No, no, she's gorgeous! It's all I can do not to take her up on her offers! I'm just trying to stay civil, that's all."

The droid translated and Talia spoke again, looking amused.

"She says that what happens behind closed doors is nobody's business," Dee translated. "And assures you that many so-called civilized men and women indulge in slave pleasures almost daily."

Kellen crossed his arms. "Well, _I_ don't believe in taking advantage of someone just because they're a slave! A woman should be free to make her own choices."

Talia smiled, delivering her next line with her head cocked sideways.

"She says that you've been more than kind, and that she would gladly give herself to you of her own free will."

"Yeah, well, Talia here has been raised around the ideal of serving her master. So until she sees the world from the perspective of a free woman, it's strictly hands off. Are we clear?"

Talia took all that in and gave Kellen and odd look. It looked like a look of admiration, but also one that suggested she thought he was being naïve.

"As…you wish…" She bowed her head.

"Good," Kellen turned and walked out of the refresher. "Can you handle yourself from here."

She spoke.

"She says she'll be fine."

"Good," Kellen sighed. "See why I figured we'd need a translator? Can you imagine going through that not knowing what we were was saying to each other?"

She smiled.

"She says she probably would have come rushing out."

Kellen rolled his eyes. "Gods, that would have been a disaster."

Talia began to laugh. Kellen chuckled too.

"I say, what's so funny?" The protocol droid program said of its own accord.

Kellen patted his hand on Talia's head, which she seemed to smile at.

"Nothing, Dee, nothing at all."

Unfortunately, there wasn't much in the way of breakfast. Kellen usually skipped his morning meal, ruling that it'd be better for his funds that way, and usually got by with a cup of jamba juice.

"Alright," Kellen said, offering her a cup. "First order of business is getting you some clothes that don't make you look like a cantina dancer."

Talia seemed to take offense at this.

"Don't get me wrong," Kellen held his hands up. "The black leather looks real good on you. It's just…not always appropriate, especially if you're out looking for a job."

As Kellen began rummaging through his bags for extra clothing, he remembered the question he had been meaning to ask her.

"Speaking of which, aside from dancing and giving massages, what else can you do? Cook, clean, anything like that?"

Dee translated and Talia smiled, happily conveying her response.

"She says chores like that would be easy for her," Dee translated. "Although she admits, she usually has more to work with."

Kellen glanced around his flat. "I meant for doing work somewhere else. But yeah, sorry, there's not much here. But I'm hoping to change that, real soon. I just have to find a steady job. Now try these on."

He handed her a pair of gray baggy pants and one of his white tank tops for when he worked on his parents' moisture farm. It took him a split second remember that Talia had no reservations about being seen naked, and after the briefest glimpse of her towel-less red skin, turned away with a start.

He took a great sigh. He'd really have to work on this whole modesty thing with her.

"They fit?"

Talia hummed in the affirmative and Kellen turned around.

"Oh boy…" he gulped.

Despite her tiny frame, the white tank top was about a size and half too small for her cleavage, which threatened to pop out of the thin white fabric.

Kellen rummaged around desperately for something more modest, before tossing her a matching gray jacket, which just barely zipped up the front.

"Ok…we're gonna have to do a little shopping," Kellen said, smiling uneasily. "First, let me get cleaned up. Why don't you talk to Dee and see what you need to know to get by in the real world. And see how much basic you can pick up."

He eyed the door warily. He didn't like keeping her locked up, but he still felt it was too dangerous for her to go out alone.

"You can do whatever you like, but please stay inside, ok?"

Talia nodded after Dee's careful translation.

"Alright," Kellen said. "I'll be right out."

A quick wash-up later, Kellen braced himself for the worst as he stepped out of the refresher. To his surprised, Talia's attention was utterly fixated on the holopad, which was probably an alien device to her as far as she knew. She was having a ball surfing the net, seeing all the colors and sounds that emitted from the device. And Dee, for some odd reason, seemed to be egging her on.

"Dee?" Kellen asked the protocol droid program curiously. "What's going on?"

"I simply offered her an extension on my program package. For just 299.99, I can upgrade my systems to-"

"Dee, shut down all advertising software immediately," Kellen commanded.

"Understood," the holo-droid said, almost lamenting.

"Credit card number?" Talia said out loud, looking at what Kellen could plainly see as a web page for purchasing more of D-12C's software.

"Talia!" Kellen said in alarm, before realizing he didn't have a credit card. Then, it suddenly occurred to her. "You can read basic?"

"Read basic?" she said out loud.

"Yeah, that's it!" Kellen smiled.

"That's it," Talia repeated.

"Hey, can you really understand me?"

"Understand me?" Talia asked.

"Oh I get, you're just repeating everything I say."

"Everything I say," Talia said, sounding pleased with herself.

"Well, at least you're learning," Kellen smiled, pulling his clothes on behind his towel.

"Least you're learning," she smiled.

"Come on," Kellen smiled. "Let's go find a job."

"Find a job!" Talia decreed, taking his hand enthusiastically in hers.

Kellen clipped his holopad to his belt, holding Talia's hand in his as the two of them strolled out the door.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Star Wars Fan Fiction**

**In The Blazing Heat**

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Three

Finding a job with someone as eye-catching as a Lethan Twi'lek was so easy, it should have been illegal (in fact, in certain systems, it probably was). Hiring only under the conditions that Kellen be hired as well made the first few would-be employers turn their noses up, but eventually, they found a cantina that needed new servers.

Kellen had never waited tables before, but that hardly mattered. He needed the money, and the customers were so fascinated by Talia that barely anyone paid Kellen much attention.

Talia wore Kellen's holo-pad strapped to her belt, along with a fancy skirt and blouse that revealed almost as much skin as her slave girl outfit. Dee would automatically translate for her and her customers, which made things less complicated, and by the end of the day, Talia had pulled in enough tips to pay for the food she'd eaten from Kellen's icebox five times over.

"You did very good today, Talia," Kellen said, patting her shoulder. "Now, what do you say we take you shopping for some nicer clothes?"

Talia looked down at the waitress outfit she had taken home (it turned out Kellen was responsible for laundering all work clothes). "No good?"

Kellen smiled. "Good. But is that all you want to wear, all day and every day?"

Dee translated.

"She says that she always wore the same clothes when she was in training."

Kellen crossed his arms. "Talia? What did I tell you about being a slave?"

Talia winced. "Not slave. Normal girl."

Kellen's expression softened. "I swear, sometimes it's as if you want to be a slave. Would you prefer it if I whipped you every time you did something bad? Would you prefer it if I didn't feed you out of my own larder and give you nice clothes to wear?"

As Dee translated, Talia's eyes widened and seized his wrist.

"No! Happy! Happy not slave! Happy with Kellen!"

Kellen weakened under those pitiful eyes and rubbed her head.

"Now, do you want to go clothes shopping or not?"

Talia smiled and nodded. "Yes!"

xxxxx

"How is it?"

Talia opened the dressing room door and came out wearing a long yellow dress.

Kellen bit his lip. "Is that really practical?"

Dee had to translate.

"I like," was Talia's answer.

"But where will you wear it? That's a formal dress, you couldn't wear that outdoors."

Dee translated and Talia blinked. "I like."

Kellen scratched his head. "How about this? We'll get you some outdoor clothes, some indoor clothes, some shoes and some pajamas, and then, if we have enough money left over, we can get you that dress?"

Dee translated and Talia went over the list in her head.

"What 'pajamas?'"

Kellen blinked. "They're clothes that you wear when you sleep?"

The idea seemed alien to Talia. "Sleep with clothes?"

Kellen blushed. "Yes, sleep with clothes! Because you can't be naked when you sleep. And speaking of sleep, tonight you sleep on the couch."

Dee translated.

Talia's eyes looked sad and hurt. "Kellen…sleep alone?"

Kellen groaned. "Yes, I sleep alone. It's not proper for civilized men and women to sleep in the same bed."

Talia looked confused. Befuddled. Like what Kellen had said had challenged some universal truth.

Dee had to translate what she said.

"She points out that lovers sleep together frequently."

"Well, we're not lovers," Kellen blurted out before he could stop himself. "I mean…"

Kellen wasn't prepared for the look of hurt on Talia's face. But even less so when Talia suddenly ran out the door, not even giving him a chance to rescind his words somehow. He was so stunned, that it took him a full three seconds to react.

"Hey, wait!"

Dashing after her, Kellen almost made it out the door when the storeowner, a powerful looking Bothan, clasped his shoulder tight.

"Hey!" the furry clerk grunted, unamused. "Is she gonna pay for that dress she was wearing?"

Kellen groaned, realizing he wasn't getting out of this, paid the man for the dress. It nearly wiped out his credits. Afterwards, he ran out the door.

There were crowds of folks, all of them different, none of them Talia.

She was gone.

"Stang!" he cursed, following what he hoped was Talia's footprints down the sandy streets. But soon, the footprints became lost in obscurity, and he had to rely on luck.

xxxxx

It was nightfall by the time he caught sight of her, sitting in an alley under a ventilation system.

She was crying.

"Hey…" he said gently, sitting next to her.

Her eyes were tear-filled and swollen red – a different shade than her skin tone, which made it all the more pitiful.

"You hate me…" she sobbed.

"What!?" Kellen stammered, taken aback. "That's ridiculous! I don't hate you!"

"You don't hate me?" Talia looked up fearfully. "Then…you love me?"

Kellen hesitated. "I…"

Talia looked away, sniffing. "You take me away from man with cages…you give me food…you give me bed to sleep in…clothes to wear…"

Kellen took Talia's hand in his. "I did all those things because I didn't think you deserve that life."

Talia gave him a challenging look. "Then why not buy other Twi'lek? Why not other human? Why me?"

"I…" it was Kellen's turn to look away.

"Because I pretty?" Talia asked, almost sardonically. "Because I wear pretty clothes? Because I look nice?"

Kellen shook his head, face red. "No…"

Talia sounded angry now. "You buy me because you want me. Because you like looking at me."

Kellen groaned. "Talia…"

"Then why not sleep with me?" Talia challenged. "Why not look at me without clothes? Is what you really want! Is what you bought me for!"

"Damn it Talia, I'm starting to wish I hadn't!"

Talia's eyes widened. But Kellen's were hard and piercing.

"Damn it, I'm not perfect! I have drives and selfish desires of my own, and sometimes I delude myself into thinking I have to do the right thing because no one else does! I may not have bought you for the right reasons, but I'm determined to make it right! And if I sleep with you, it will be like that it was all I wanted in the first place! And it's not! I want you to have a good life!"

Talia looked stunned. Dee was still translating for her.

Kellen took her by the shoulders, interrupting the protocol AI.

"I don't hate you. I don't love you, but I _do_ care about you. You're an important person to me. And I don't want anything bad to happen to you because of me, and that includes taking advantage of you by sleeping with you."

Talia blinked away tears. "But…I want to-"

"You _think_ you want to, because that's how you were raised," Kellen scolded. "Sleeping with someone is the best way you know how to make people happy. But there are other ways to live, Talia. You don't have to sleep with someone in order to make them happy…or to be happy yourself."

Talia looked heartbroken. Kellen hadn't let go of her. Her yellow dress was muddy and covered with sand.

"Then…" Talia began. "Sleep in same bed, with clothes. Like night before?"

"No," Kellen rolled his eyes. "That bed is too small for both of us."

Talia blinked, like she suddenly realized how obvious that was. "Oh…then…if Kellen gets bigger bed, we can sleep in same bed?"

Kellen sighed in exasperation. "Beds are expensive…" He held up his credit cards. "Lots of money. And you know what else was expensive? That dress," he pointed at her soiled yellow outfit. "Why don't we get you home so we can wash that for you?"

Talia got to her feet, suddenly chipper again. "Okay! Go home, wash dress, then sleep, then work, get money, buy bigger bed!"

Kellen sighed as he got to his feet. It was amazing how this girl's thought processes worked sometimes. "We'll have to work a lot more than one day to afford a big enough bed. And don't forget to put dinner in that list of yours."

Talia touched her chin, thinking back to what she had said. "Oh, right! Go home, wash dress, then dinner, then-"

"Right, right," Kellen took her hand as he lead her back out onto the street. "Let's just go."

Seemingly satisfied, she clung to his arm as they made their way to the housing unit.

xxxxx

After working double shifts each day for an entire week, Kellen and Talia had enough to last them the rest of the month. It was exhausting work to Kellen, though Talia's presence made it tolerable. Perhaps purchasing her from that slaver hadn't been his worst idea after all. Once she had gotten the message that he wasn't going to be…copulating with her anytime soon, she became much more cooperative in helping out in other day to day necessities, and was genuinely curious and anxious to learn as much as she could. By the end of the week, she didn't even need Dee to translate for her anymore, though her Basic was still somewhat broken.

"Bantha steaks for dinner?" she inquired on their way home one day, fixing Kellen with an adorable look that she had learned very quickly to be very effective on him.

"We'll have to pick some up at the market, but sure thing, why not?" Kellen shrugged. Though he was exhausted (working an eighty hours week was _not_ fun), he had more money than he'd ever had working on the farm or any other of his short lived careers here in Mos Espa. Talia made just as much as he did, and his rent was bare minimum. Though the living conditions were scant at best, at least they could afford to keep themselves fed. Other than food, water, and rent, he and Talia hadn't really needed to spend much else, though the day after the yellow dress incident, he had taken Talia to buy some practical clothing.

During their frequent visits to the market, Talia invariably came down with a case of the gimme's, asking if they could buy everything in sight. Once Kellen had priced about the cheapest double bed he could find and shown her the price, however, Talia very quickly stopped trying to be so spendthrift. She'd even opted for more work time. Kellen had originally only wanted to work regular hours, but every time their Dugg boss offered Talia more work, she invariably accepted, and Kellen wasn't comfortable with Talia working alone just yet, so he always ended up working a double shift as well.

Even when he wasn't working during her shifts, he was in the cantina, keeping an eye on her. The result had been six days non-stop work, leaving them finally with a day off. Which, in Kellen's mind, was reason enough to celebrate with a little expenditure. Talia, of course agreed – though in her mind, anything in the world was reason enough to celebrate.

He purchased the bantha steaks, and, at Talia's insistence, a candy stick that was for sale at the register (he swore she could be such a child sometimes) which she ate with delight on the way home.

Kellen didn't own a blaster, though he did keep a stun baton in his bag at home. He'd be remembering to bring it with him from that day forward after the events that transpired that evening.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!?"

When something had clasped his arm and dragged him into a nearby alley, the exclamation was all Kellen managed to get out before a fist struck him in the stomach, and knocked the wind out of him. He dropped his grocery bags, doubling over against the wall, clutching his stomach in pain.

He couldn't make out the dark shapes in the shadows, but from the laughter, there were at least three of them. He heard a mash of Basic and Huttese, and he thought he saw one of them carrying a blaster.

"Just give us your money, pal," one of them said in a gnarly voice.

Another of the conspirators added a comment in Huttese.

Kellen's mind was a blur when his head turned towards the direction of the street before he could think. There, staring down at the three men trying to rob him, was Talia, looking confused and scared.

"Kellen?"

His attacker's looked up to make out her shape.

"A Lethan Twi'lek?" he heard one of them say in disbelief.

_Stang!_ Kellen thought to himself, before trying to get to his feet.

"Talia! Run! Get out of here! Go! Now!"

He had hoped getting up would distract them long enough to give Talia the half second she needed to bolt. Twi'leks were known for their running speed. But Talia just stood there.

"Kellen…"

A large arm wrapped around Kellen's neck, and all of the sudden, he couldn't breathe. He was lifted off his feet, and suddenly, his vision began to get blurry.

"Talia…" he grunted with the last of his breath, as he watched helplessly as two of his attackers, a Human and a Weequay, seize Talia by the arm and drag her into the alley.

Why wasn't she running? Why wasn't she resisting them? Surely she recognized the danger! Why were her eyes locked on Kellen, looking to him as though he was the only one who could get them out of this?

He'd failed her, he realized! She'd be sold back into slavery for sure! And he couldn't do a thing about it! Tears began to well up in his eyes. Whether it was out of pain or shame, he couldn't tell. His vision began to cloud, and then he couldn't see at all. But he could still make out the vague sounds of voices as his mind slowly went numb.

xxxxx

He awoke to Talia's fervent prodding, her terrified expression meeting his gaze as she anxiously shook him awake, tears in her eyes.

It took Kellen a few seconds to remember the events from before he lost consciousness, and when he tried to jump to his feet in a start, he barely managed to roll over.

"Kellen!" Talia's voice sounded relieved as her arms clasped around him. He still couldn't see very well. The room they were in was too dark to…no, wait, they were still in the alley. It was nighttime!

Kellen tried to speak, and got a hacking, sputtering fit for his trouble, which seemed to somehow give him the necessary energy to right himself, sitting up in Talia's arms, his head spinning.

He felt like vomiting.

"T…Talia…"

The Twi'lek was sobbing now, her brilliant red lekku twitching in sorrow. Both their clothes were a mess, and their groceries lay a few meters over, still contained in their freezer box. A thought occurred to Kellen and he checked his pocket book.

Still there.

He looked around, but it was too dark to make out anything else, save for the traffic of foot and speeder out by the streets. His head still felt dizzy, but it wasn't a terribly long trek back to his place. Good thing they had the day off tomorrow.

"Come on…" he touched Talia by the shoulder, causing her to lift her tear soaked eyes. "Let's go home…"

It took them a while, but after Talia helped him to his feet, he managed to get walking. Talia was still shaken, and every time Kellen asked her what happened, (or any other question in Basic) she just shook her head. The shock must have rattled her too much for her translate her fears into basic, so Kellen eventually turned on his holopad.

"Dee, ask her what happened after I got pulled into the alleyway."

The holographic projection of the protocol droid's head relayed the message in Twi'lekki. It took some repeating, and some words of encouragement, but Talia eventually spoke enough for Dee to formulate a translation.

"I…could be mistaken, sir, she's leaving out a lot of words…but it seems from her description that when the strangers you met started hurting you, she tried to save you. When they inhibited her progress, she demanded that they leave you both alone. And then, for no reason that Talia can determine…they left."

Kellen blinked. "They left? Just like that?"

Dee's holographic head nodded. "That is what she claims. Though she was more focused on your safety, and admits that she may not have noticed whatever scared them away."

Kellen looked at Talia, who was still shaking in his arms. They were leaning on each other for support, though his legs worked just fine, and he was supporting her more than she him. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying, and it looked as though she might burst into tears once again at the slightest provocation.

He would ask her himself later, he decided. Though it seemed odd that they had gotten off so easy, he didn't feel like looking a gift bantha in the mouth. He was just glad they were safe.

But once they had gotten behind their door and locked it, Kellen still couldn't help the nagging feeling he felt. How had they escaped? Had they been rescued by someone? Were there security guards nearby or something? It seemed so unlikely that they had left just because Talia had asked them to.

Kellen had a bad feeling about this…


	4. Chapter 4

**Star Wars Fan Fiction**

**In The Blazing Heat**

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Four

"I'm sorry, Talia…"

Kellen and Talia were walking away from the cantina where they had once worked. It had been Kellen's fault, really. He shouldn't have been so protective of Talia. Half the reason – no, really, the whole reason they had even _had_ the job was because of her sex appeal. So, of course he should have expected the customers to ogle over her, compliment her, inquire about her, and give her gratuitous amounts of tips.

Kellen hadn't really minded. He wasn't jealous or anything. It wasn't like she was shoving off to go live with them instead of him. And he knew that if he was going to make a living, he would have to capitalize on her eye-catching figure. But he was still protective of her. Especially when catcalls and longing eyes had turned into fondling and groping.

Talia hadn't reacted adversely. She was used to her body being treated like an object (much to Kellen's chagrin). But what had steamed him the most about the situation was the look that she threw him whenever such an occurrence had arisen. Her reasoning was clear – she was being touched by someone _other_ than her master. Was this permissible? How was she to know? She must inquire with her master to seek his approval before continuing.

Except that this still meant she was thinking with the slave girl mentality, and not the mentality of a normal, free thinking woman – namely, to slap the unsightly patron upside the head.

When Talia had failed to do this, Kellen had picked up the slack.

After the first angered customer had left in disgust, the owner of the Cantina, an old Dug named Biff, had given Kellen a stern talking-to about treating the customers with respect and allowing them to have their way. He had grudgingly agreed, with Talia hanging her head sullenly, as though she'd been the one who'd caused the problem.

Kellen had braced himself for the next inevitable run-in, and had practically seen it coming when a well-to-do middle-aged overweight Corellian trader with a bad comb-over had come strutting in, bearing a set of blaster pistols and a grin that made him look like he owned the place. It had been apparent by the way that all the other customers (not to mention other waitresses) had shied away from him that he would be trouble.

And Talia, innocent and ignorant as she was, had approached him without a second thought.

Needless to say, his hands had been on her within minutes.

Needless to say, Kellen had laid him flat on the floor in the two seconds it had taken him to clear the distance between tables.

The result had been a shooting match – which wasn't much of a match, considering neither Kellen nor Talia owned any firearms. Kellen had now been keeping his stun baton on him for situations like these, but against a blaster, his chances of getting a hit were slim. He had flipped over a table out of sheer instinct when he had seen the blaster, and before he knew it, he had pulled Talia behind the table to avoid the man's shooting. Just as Kellen had been preparing to rush the guy with his stun baton, Biff, the cantina owner, had jumped the guy, laying him flat once more, and throwing him from the premises.

Biff then promptly fired both Kellen and Talia.

"We were…fired?" Talia said, as though not understanding the word. The two of them were making the journey back to Kellen's apartment under the hot Tatooine suns. She thumbed through Kellen's holopad (an item which she had all but claimed for her own by now), and looked up the definition of the word, choosing to learn for herself rather than ask Dee.

"To ignite a flame…" she began to scroll through definitions. "To discharge from a weapon…to have lost one's job…"

Kellen winced as the full realization of what had happened sunk in.

"You mean…we lost our job?" she asked him, eyes on the verge of tears. "We can't go back to the cantina? We can't make money anymore?"

Kellen gave her a pitiful look. "I'm afraid so, Talia…but don't worry, we'll find a new job soon. I promise!"

Talia sniffed, still looking remorseful. "But…but…I _liked_ it there! There were so many strange new people to meet every day, and everyone would tell me how pretty I looked, and everyone would give us money…"

Kellen offered a comforting pat on her shoulder.

"Would you want to work in a place that serves customers like that man who shot at us? Would you want to work for a boss who insisted you let those _sleemo_'s touch you like that!?"

Talia's lower lip quivered. "If…if it makes money to help Kellen…then I don't mind…"

Kellen's hand tightened around her shoulder and she flinched.

"Money isn't everything, Talia!" Kellen scolded. "You shouldn't offer up your body like that. There are other ways of making money, and allowing people within such close proximity is _dangerous_! What is somebody tried to hurt you? I might not be able to come help next time!"

Talia stared at her feet. They had stopped walking.

"I…" Talia said, looking as though she knew the words she spoke would anger him. "…Don't mind…people touching me like that…"

"Well, _I_ do!" Kellen hollered, grabbing her other shoulder, now holding her shoulders in both hands. "You're important to me, Talia! I don't want filth like that to even come _near_ you, let alone _touch_ you! Do you understand me?"

Talia was silent for a few moments as she shuffled her feet. Kellen was staring hard at her, waiting for a response. Pedestrians were passing them by as they stood in silence, before Kellen suddenly realized her cheeks were a redder hue than usual.

And she was smiling.

"Alright…" she said, looking up to him with elated eyes. He saw none of the remorse from before. In fact, she looked...grateful, almost. "I won't let anyone else touch me from now on."

Before Kellen could nod in approval, she had placed her lips on his, giving him a quick peck, before pulling away, anxiously, blushing even more than before. She wasn't used to playing the aggressor.

Kellen, for his part, felt color creep into his own cheeks, as he stared at her with something skin to a schoolboy crush, before shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

"Come on…let's go home and rest," he said, taking her by the arm. "Then tomorrow, we'll find a new job."

Talia smiled as she kept pace with him, holding his arm possessively.

"Find a job!"

xxxxx

Two weeks later, and as many jobs come and gone, their hopes had somewhat dimmed.

The very next place that had accepted their dual employment was a weapons dealership. Talia had been their advertising lady – her job had been to hold the sign up and direct customers into the store. Kellen's job as a repairman, however, had been a bit more challenging – seeing as how he didn't know the first thing about repairing weapons. He was promptly let go. And since neither wanted to work without the other, Talia quit immediately after.

The one after that was at a used droid lot, which had lasted even less time, when during their tour of the facility, Talia developed a sudden and hysterical fear of droids, despite having used an AI protocol on Kellen's holopad. When Kellen later showed her that Dee's face was representative of a droid's face, Talia had simply waved her hand through the hologram and said, "It's not real."

Around real droids, however, Talia nearly went into a panic, jumping about the room and knocking everything over from displays to shelving units to other droids, which only caused to terrify her even more, eventually fleeing the premises and getting herself lost again in the streets of Mos Espa, leaving Kellen to search her out once more.

Needless to say, the job was lost.

That night, as Kellen watched his options slowly dwindling, he decided to go out for a nightcap. Fixating Talia's attention on a holodrama he had pirated off the holonet, which would hopefully distract her while he was away for the evening, he latched the door and headed out to the cantina – a different one that the one he had been employed in, but thankfully, there were several in Mos Espa.

He was nonplussed by the sheer quantity of available drinks, ranging from smooth mixes from halfway across the galaxy, to local brews that bubbled and frothed with…something, that was either ice cold, or boiling hot, he was unable to tell.

He settled for something familiar – Jawa beer, the only real alcoholic beverage he or his parents had ever come across, from trading with the infamous scavengers who roamed Tatooine. He hadn't gotten to drink it much growing up, but his parents did occasionally bring some out on special occasions, like birthdays.

It was a familiar, comforting taste that left him feeling suddenly very homesick. He wanted to just leave Mos Espa, to leave Talia and his apartment and just go running home, crying to his parents that he had failed, that he had tried to make it in the big city, and he had gotten thrown out on his rear end.

But no, he decided. It wasn't just his life and his future now. He had a responsibility to Talia now, and for better or for worse, he had to stick it out for her sake at least. He couldn't go running home now, not until he had gotten her a stable job somewhere, and enabled her to take care of herself.

He frowned at the realization of what would happen after that. He would have to leave her, he realized. Maybe, she would have been better off at that weapons dealership, advertising for the store. He certainly had no aptitude for the job, but her position was open and waiting. If he could somehow convince her to work alone, and then slowly, ease her into doing the daily necessities on her own – not even basic things, like using a refresher or a knife and fork. Those things came easily to her! It was the more advanced stuff, like shopping responsibly for food and clothes, paying bills, dealing with strangers, or finding a new job should she happen to lose whichever job she had at the time.

She needed to be raised properly to be an adult, he realized. She didn't need _him_, a bumbling nerf-herder, stumbling through life, barely able to support himself. She needed a _parent_, someone who could raise and nurture her, to make up for her years lost to the brutal lifestyle of slavery. The last thing she needed was some fool moisture farm boy who could barely control his own hormones around the girl.

"Kark it all…" he grumbled to himself, downing the last of his Jawa beer. This was all too big for him to deal with. The best thing to do would be to get Talia to some kind of therapist, someone who could work with her to make her see the world from the perspective of a free woman. Therapists were expensive, however, and on this backwater planet, there was no such thing as Galactic Health Insurance.

The next best thing would be, he realized with a pang of guilt, would be for him to take her home to his mother and father, and assuming they weren't turned away out of spite, leave her in his parent's care. Leave them with another mouth to feed, while he still had nothing to show for it.

No, he decided. Even if he were to succumb to that fate, he must first earn some money, something to make it all up to them, something to make it worth their while…

Something to make _him_ worth their while.

"Stang…" he rested his forehead on the heel of his hand, his elbow on the counter. "What am I gonna do?"

His attention was diverted when a glass of an amber frothy concoction slid his way.

"Drink up, kid," same a charming sounding male voice. "It's on me. So why don't you tell me about your problems?"

Kellen glanced up at the newcomer. He was a spacer by the look of him, a blaster slung careless at his side, and a devil-may-care smile on his face. Carefree eyes looked at him beneath a frilly mop of chocolate brown hair and above a face full of stubble.

Oddly, Kellen's first question was not to discern the man's identity, nor his sudden inexplicable concern for Kellen's peril, but simply: "What is this?" gesturing at the glass.

"Lomin Ale," he smiled playfully, gesturing to his half empty glass of a similar looking stuff. "The kind they make here isn't half bad, if you ask me."

Kellen watched him guzzle down the remainder of his glass, and decided that it wouldn't hurt just to taste it. It _was_ free after all.

He took a sip, and found it warm and surprisingly sweet. The frothy coating on top bubbled in his mouth and fizzed on the way down, and he had to agree that the experience of drinking the ale was a pleasant one.

"There you go," the stranger said, clapping Kellen on the back. "So, what seems to be the problem, kiddo?"

Before Kellen could answer, an accusatory voice called out from a table on the far side of the cantina.

"Dak, are you hassling the locals again?"

Kellen and who he guessed was Dak both turned at the voice. It was undeniably female, and held an air of authority, both of which mirrored the face of the woman who had issued the query. Maybe it was the effects of the alcohol – Kellen didn't normally drink more than one glass per sitting, and who knew _what_ was in that drink "Dak" had given him. But the woman who caught Kellen's eye at that moment was absolutely gorgeous, with long, straight bronze hair and gleaming blue eyes.

Dak, now looking sheepish and guilty, just scratched his head. "Sorry, honey. Just trying to make some new friends."

The woman rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yeah, right – trying to shanghai new recruits is more like it. Son, is this laser-brain bothering you?"

Kellen glanced at Dak, and then at the drink in his hands. "Uhh…no, not really…" he offered weakly.

The lady smiled, crossing her arms, not moving from her seat at the table. "Well, don't let him fool you, kid. He'll tell you stories about treasure hunting and space pirates, and not a word of it's true! He's as slippery as a greased dug, this guy!"

Kellen watched Dak place his free hand over his heart, and by his stagger, suddenly realized that the cheerful man was quite drunk. "Aldrea, you wound me! I was merely offering to listen to this boy's troubles! See if we couldn't help each other out!"

The woman – Aldrea – still had her arms crossed, and was staring at Dak in distaste. "Oh, yeah? And what state of mind are you in right now to be hiring on help at this stage? We've been on this damn rock for near on a month now! What makes you think we'll find another operator in this scum hive, and at a _cantina_, no less!?"

Dak spread his arms wide. "Sweetness, I'm just buying the fellow a drink. What's the harm?"

Aldrea seemed to take the pet name as an insult and got to her feet. "Don't you 'sweetness' me, you kriffing nerf-herder! We've been following _your_ karking instincts this whole trip! And what has it gotten us? A planet load of _nothing_!"

Kellen remained silent through the ordeal, his drink all but forgotten, sure that he'd somehow started this whole mess. Very quickly, he'd watched what he'd thought was jovial couple break down into an all out shouting match.

"Darling, I-"

This time, Dak didn't even get to finish the thought.

"Dak, I swear by the Force, this is it!" Aldrea glared, ruefully. "We are _through_! I have _had_ it with your stupid theories and conjectures that never see _either_ of us through to the end! I am _out_ of here!"

With that, she stormed out of the cantina in a huff, leaving Kellen, Dak, and several other patrons, looking baffled and ill at ease.

After a long minute, Dak turned to look at Kellen, his expression suddenly impossible to read.

"Well…that could have gone better…" he admitted, pointing to Kellen's half finished glass of Lomin Ale. "You gonna finish that?"

Kellen handed the glass to him without thinking. "Shouldn't you go after her?"

He spoke without thinking, but it was what he'd have done. Especially if he had been involved with a woman _that_ pretty. From what he'd gleamed from the argument, the two of them had come here in a ship. Were _he_ in Dak's position, _he_ would have crossed the entire galaxy to make it up to the woman he cared for. Or maybe the alcohol was just making him melodramatic.

"Nah…" Dak said, sliding into the seat next to Kellen's. "She'll come around eventually. She always does." He downed the remainder of the ale in a single shot, and ordered two more for himself and for Kellen. "We came here on a treasure hunt, which has so far been…unsuccessful, so say the least. In that much, she's absolutely right. I _did_ kind of promise her riches beyond her wildest dreams. Guess maybe I was just being too fanciful in my old age. Sure would help if we could hire on some local help though…"

He sipped his glass of ale, which left a frothy mustache on his upper lip.

"But enough about me," he grinned wryly, seemingly at ease with the fresh induction of alcohol. "Tell me about yourself, kid."

Kellen looked at the strange man with something that was a mix of sympathy, kinship, and respect. They were both two men, out of their element, with women that they each cared for and needed to support, and with no clear path about where to go next.

And so, Kellen began his tale.


	5. Chapter 5

**Star Wars Fan Fiction**

**In The Blazing Heat**

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Five

The holodrama that Kellen had showed Talia had only distracted her for about two hours. She understood most of what had gone on – the daughter of a rich family had feelings for a poor boy, and they ran away so they could be together. There were some odd twists and turns along the way, but they ended up together in the end, so that made Talia happy.

When the drama was over, however, she was suddenly left with nothing to do around the apartment except fiddle with Kellen's holopad some more.

"Dee…" she and the holo-droid had been friends for weeks now. "What is a…" she searched for the words Kellen had used. "Cantina?"

The droid's head popped up over the screen. "It is an establishment that serves alcoholic beverages and is notorious in the areas around Tatooine for being places where smugglers and other criminals conduct business."

Talia was somewhat confused. "What is 'alcohol?'"

"An intoxicating chemical found in many recreational drinks, created using distillation and fermentation methods on various sugars."

There were a lot of words in there that Talia didn't know. "What does it do?"

Without pause, Dee continued. "It dulls the senses in most carbon based life forms, and allows for a brief period of euphoria or stress relief in certain quantities, usually followed by a painful period of relapse after the liver has filtered out all the alcohol, normally after waking."

Talia pursed her lips. She was starting to get some idea of what it was. "Why would Kellen want to drink this?"

Dee seemed uncertain. "I am only speculating, but given what I have seen of his current situation, he feels immensely pressured to find a suitable form of employment, and equally pressed to offer _you_ a suitable living environment."

Talia looked around their apartment. "Offer _me_? But…I'm happy with the way things are now. Except…maybe I'd like a bigger bed to share with Kellen…but that's all…"

Dee appeared to shrug (though how he managed this without shoulders was a puzzler). "I believe, by human standards, that this is establishment and all its furnishings, functional though they are, represent a very low position within the social hierarchy on Tatooine."

Talia didn't really understand any of that, but she was worried that Kellen was somehow unhappy with his life. "Is Kellen…upset with me?"

Dee looked at Talia. "I do not believe so, no. He confided to me once that that his parents had high expectations for him."

Talia nodded. This she understood. It was just like in the holodrama, with the rich noble woman and her parents that expected her to marry the rich slob. So maybe, all Kellen needed was a poor boy – or in this case, girl – to take him away from his parent's expectations, to make him happy. And if all went well, then maybe Kellen would even return her feelings for him.

Talia found herself smiling, when she thought back to what Dee had been telling her.

"Dee…" she said nervously. "You said cantinas were places were criminals do business, right?"

The droid head nodded. "I did, yes."

Talia was suddenly worried. "What if…what if Kellen went to the cantina to do business with a criminal!?"

Dee looked worried as well. "That…is not an impossibility. It would seem like a tempting option and this point. It would surely be most dangerous, however. Kellen said he'd be keeping his stun baton with him at all times after that mishap in the alleyway, but most smugglers and the like carry much heavier artillery than that!"

Talia spent the whole rest of the evening worrying herself into a frenzy, with Dee trying desperately to calm her down, until she finally heard the door slide open much later, to see Kellen walking in, looking somewhat tired and just a little drunk, but clearly still alive.

"Kellen!" Talia practically leaped into his arms.

While Kellen was normally coordinated enough to catch a flailing Twi'lek in his arms and remain standing, the presence of alcohol made this an impossibility, as all of the girl's weight came down on him, and he tumbled onto his back to the floor.

It took him a few moments to register what had happened, during which time Talia lay on top of him, clutching him desperately, half elated, half stricken with tears.

"Kellen…" she sobbed, completely unashamed. "I was so worried when I read that cantina's are places for criminal's business! I thought you'd gotten caught up in something bad! I was so scared!"

Kellen blinked as the realized that he was, in fact, on the floor, with Talia on top of his person. It took him another moment to register what she had just said, and to work out her reasoning.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Talia…" he stroked her shoulders gingerly. "I wasn't doing anything dangerous. Unless you count experimenting with new ales as dangerous."

"The way _you_ handle your liquor, _I'd_ call it dangerous," came a brash sounding voice from outside the door.

Talia hadn't even noticed the man who Kellen had come home with. He had politely stayed outside Kellen's door until he had been invited in, though mostly because Talia had pinned Kellen to the only available floor over which to cross, and partly because he was too busy chuckling at the spectacle the two provided.

Talia gave the man a suspicious look. "Kellen? Who's this?"

Kellen turned his head up to see who Talia was referring to. "Oh…let me introduce you…"

When Talia didn't let him get up, he decided here and now was as good a time and place as any.

"Talia, this is Dak," Kellen began. "I met him at the cantina. He needed a place to stay for the night, so I thought I'd let him crash here. Dak, this is Talia, the girl I told you about."

Talia was still staring at Dak as though she wasn't sure what to make of him. Dak offered her his hand, which she stared at with equal confusion.

"Um, Talia?" Kellen broke the silence. "Could you let me up please?"

Without taking her eyes off the stranger, Talia got to her feet, allowing Kellen to, amid a cacophony of grunting and groaning, get to his feet.

"Much better…" Kellen dusted himself off. "Now, Talia, when we meet new people, you're supposed to shake their hands. Like this…"

He took Dak's hand in his, which Dak shook obligingly. Kellen had explained the situation to him, and being a caring soul, Dak was willing to help Kellen teach Talia the nuances of polite behavior.

Talia looked confused. "But…I thought you said not to let other people touch me?"

Kellen blushed and Dak snickered.

"Umm…" Kellen cleared his throat. "There are good kinds of touch and bad kinds of touch. When you meet a friendly stranger and you want to say hello to them, it's alright to touch their hands just once like this…"

He shook Dak's hand again, the older man still chuckling uncontrollably.

After they had finished, Dak offered his hand to Talia, who looked at the offered limb curiously. Gingerly, she slipped her hand into his larger one, which he shook in a friendly manner.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Talia," Dak said, smiling. "Kellen's told me all about your adventures so far…"

When Dak let go of her hand, she stared at her own hand strangely.

"Dak tells me he runs a ship called the Morning Star, which he uses to hunt for treasure around the Dune Sea," Kellen explained, leading Dak into the apartment, and showing both his guests to open seats. "You know what ships are, right Talia?"

Talia, still staring at her hand, looked up at Kellen and nodded. "I've been on a ship before. It's the one that took me and the others here."

Dak raised an eyebrow. "Others?"

Talia bit her lip. "The other slaves."

A thought occurred to Kellen, and he felt silly for having never asked before. "Talia, where were you from originally?"

She stared at him strangely. "I…don't know. We just called it…home."

Kellen was surprised to see tears in Dak's eyes. "That's so sad…"

Kellen cleared his throat, wanting to change the subject. "But there is a bit of good news…you want to tell her, or should I?"

Dak straightened in his chair, his momentary tears forgotten. "She's _your_ girlfriend, you tell her."

Kellen blushed. "We're not _like_ that!"

Talia tilted her head to the side. "Girlfriend? I'm a girl, and I'm your friend…why am I not your 'girlfriend?'"

Dee chose that exact moment to chime in. "The term 'girlfriend' implies much more than simple friendship Talia. It implies -"

"Okay, okay, enough, enough!" Kellen held his arms out. "Look, I'll explain it later, Talia, but what I'm trying to get at is that Dak here offered us a job."

Talia's eyes lit up. "A job?"

Dak sat back in his chair. "Help is scarce on this world, and my ship's got a lot of computer equipment to operate. It turns out Kellen here is a regular whiz-kid."

Kellen blushed. "Oh, come on, I'm not _that_ good…"

Dak pressed on, undeterred. "And Aldrea could use an assistant, which would help her take her mind off her own problems. She'd be able to give Talia a lot of helpful advice, teach her a few life skills like taking care of herself, help guide her through life as a free thinking woman – believe me, there no woman more free thinking than her! - and give Talia some real world experience. And don't worry about Talia's safety, Aldrea's a crack shot with a blaster, she can handle anything. I can't really offer much in the way of cash, but we would be happy to compensate you both by offering food, shelter and supplies, as well as teaching you both how to handle yourselves in the real world. Like teaching Kellen here to use a blaster, for one thing…"

Dak shot Kellen a devious look.

"No one without a decent blaster gets very far in this world."

Kellen wasn't really focused on Dak – he was more concerned with how Talia was taking this. And to his surprise, she seemed intrigued. Almost excited by the prospect. He should have guessed, Talia was always keen on learning new things.

"So, how about it, Talia?" he asked her. "Does this sound like a good idea?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "I'll do it. As long as Kellen's with me, I'll do it."

Kellen bit his lip. This would be a big step forward, for both of them. But was Talia ready for this? Was _he_ ready?

"What if…what if Aldrea doesn't agree to this?" Kellen asked, skeptically, remembering how she stormed out of the cantina. "She didn't seem to keen on the idea of hiring me on site."

Dak grinned widely. "Oh, you just leave her to me…"

xxxxx

The next morning, Aldrea and Dak were like two characters out of a holodrama, embracing each other and apologizing, the both of them nearly crying. Kellen would have laughed if he hadn't been so tired and hungover. He hadn't slept well last night – with Dak on the couch, he and Talia had to share the bed, although it didn't start that way. At first, he had opted for the floor, but once the lights were out, Talia had slinked down to the floor to join him, reasoning that he must have been cold down there by himself. When he'd urged her back into the bed, she'd refused, and he finally decided that he'd be taking the bed. When she slinked into the bed with him moments later, he suddenly realized that they'd done this particular dance before, and decided that as long as they were both wearing clothes, he'd just have to deal with it.

Talia, on the other hand, seemed perfectly chipper.

"I'm so sorry I left you last night!" Aldrea cooed against Dak's shoulder. "I was just so frustrated with this whole trip and I was taking it out on you!"

"There, there, sweetheart," Dak stroked her shoulders soothingly. "I don't blame you at all."

Aldrea looked up at him. "Why? I treated you like hut slime, and you're taking me back, just like that?"

Dak smiled. "I knew what you truly felt in your heart, my dear…"

Kellen took a deep sigh. It was _way_ too early for this.

Aldrea finally disengaged herself from Dak's arms and cleared her throat. "Where are my manners…" she turned to Kellen, who suddenly felt himself blushing under her intense gaze. "I should apologize to you too, young man. I had no right to make assumptions about you without knowing the whole story, and for that I apologize."

She offered her hand, which Kellen took about a second later than he should have. "Oh, it's alright…I'm Kellen, by the way."

Aldrea nodded. "Yes, Dak told me about you. He says you're pretty good with a hydrospanner and can navigate your way around computer systems pretty well. Just the sort of person we need operating our equipment. I'll be counting on you."

She turned her attention to Talia, who had her eyes lowered, shyly. While Dak had exuded the same sort of air that Kellen had, if maybe a little more roguish, Aldrea exuded sheer class in a way that the slave girl in Talia couldn't overlook. She felt ashamed to even be _near_ her.

"And who's this?" Aldrea asked, rhetorically. "You must be Talia. Oh, you poor little thing…here…"

Talia flinched when Aldrea's hands came up around Talia's cheeks, bringing her face up to eye level with her own.

"Never lower your eyes, child," she said in a maternal voice. "Out here, you are equal to everyone, even the Hutts. If you act like you're beneath other people, then they will treat you like you're beneath them. But if you act like you're their equal, or even better, their superior, then they'll revere you as such. That is my first bit of wisdom to you."

Talia looked awestruck. "I…I…thank you…"

Aldrea nodded, satisfied. "Oh, I can tell we're going to get along _just_ fine…"

They were all inside Dak's ship, the Morning Star. It was a modified SoroSuub Luxury Yacht 1300 that he claimed to have inherited when its owner had the misfortune to die while his ship was in Dak's possession. For their trip, several of the ship's spacious passenger cabins had been converted into workstations for the various scanners and digging equipment they needed, but there were still plenty of room for Kellen and Talia to take up residence should their frequent ventures out into the dessert take more than a day, which they often did according to Aldrea.

The inside of the ship looked messy, with scraps of metal and opened containers everywhere, the waste bins overstuffed because the incinerator had overheated, and panels opening up to the machinery within the walls of the ship. Dak had kept the ship in prime condition, he had claimed, and after a brief once-over, Kellen believed him. The ship would fly like a bird. It was just that it was blinding obvious that people were living in it.

As far as weapons went, it was lightly armed, with a number of retracting mounted blasters lining the underside, and one double laser cannon on the top. As Dak put it, she can chase off anything on the ground, but if she got into a fight with another ship, she was better off running.

And run she could – Dak had supped up her engines, replacing them with a set of Starscream-9 Ion Drives, which were normally only seen in military vessels. Dak had gotten them for a steal from a trader who had been on the run from local militia coming to arrest him, and in return for the (most likely) illegal ion engines, Dak had hidden him and his wares and given him a quick lift off world.

After Dak had given them the grand tour, Talia had offered to clean up when she'd seen the mess, and despite Aldrea's insistence that she not trouble herself, she was eager to prove herself useful, and had gotten at least the floor cleaned up before the day was over.

"That's quite a girl you got there…" Dak commented to Kellen in the privacy of the cockpit as he showed him the basics of how to fly.

Kellen felt his ears warm. "She's not…I mean…we're not doing anything…"

Dak smiled, nodding. "But you'd like to be."

Kellen's jaw dropped. "That's…I'm not…she doesn't _know_ any better! She just likes me because I set her free. If I tried to start anything with her, she'd go along without a second thought, if not because of the way she was raised, then out of sheer gratitude."

Dak just smiled. "What's wrong with letting her show her appreciation? She's obviously fond of you, and even if you don't feel like taking her to your bed, you could at least give her a kiss every now and then."

Kellen was blushing more than ever. "Look, it's just not right, okay? She and I are from completely different worlds! Where she's from, sex is just another part of the game! Where I'm from, you were considered lucky if girls even _looked_ at you!"

Dak's smiled widened. "Ah-hah. So, you're saying that because it was _so_ hard for you to get a girl in the past, there's _no_ way it could be _this_ easy for you now."

Kellen glared at the man for his presumption. "No! I…well…" he thought about it. In a way it made sense. It wasn't like he had some kind of _aversion_ to her. He was _quite_ attracted to her. And there was a part of him that, to this day, still couldn't believe his good fortune. Sure it has cost him a a fortune, but the end result of it all was that a slave girl had basically fallen into his lap.

She was _gorgeous_! She was _willing_! And she was _his_!

But that last part just sat so wrong with him. No, she wasn't _his_! She wasn't _anybody's_! She was a free woman now! She was free to make her own choices now. He had assured her of that.

Of course, her own choices, as they stacked up, seemed to consist of playing silly games, trying to be helpful around the house, enjoying herself while she ate and slept, and generally being affectionate. It was still so very slave-like. But at the same time, it was so…endearing. And what he further realized was that it was so very _childlike_. Talia couldn't be much older than sixteen, and had clearly not been given a chance to grow and develop as a woman. Hopefully, her time with Aldrea could change that. But until such time as she could stand on her own two feet, Kellen wouldn't be trying to get anywhere with her. Because as much as he might have fantasized about Talia, he was not about to attempt to romance a _child_.

Kellen got to his feet, resolved. "I'm just hoping out time here will change things for the better."

Dak waved him off as Kellen headed for his quarters.

"Yeah…me too kid."


	6. Chapter 6

**Star Wars Fan Fiction**

**In The Blazing Heat**

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Six

Working with Dak and Aldrea, Kellen had never worked so hard in his life, either at home on the farm, or at any of the jobs he'd managed to find in Mos Espa. For every bit of added difficulty, however, there was an equal addition of enjoyment and fulfillment. Dak may have been a swindler, a smuggler, and a con man, but he also knew his poodoo. He had only been on Tatooine for a month, and he had already picked up numerous local customs, traditions and even languages. Not only could he speak Hutese, an invaluable skill for a smuggler, but he could speak passable Jawa, which made scavenging a lot easier, and even some Ryloth. However, every time he made an attempt to practice with Talia, she would shy behind Kellen's back.

Kellen wasn't too concerned. In the beginning, he had wondered why Dak had truly taken an interest in him. Despite being a self-acclaimed con man, he didn't seem to have any ulterior motives with Kellen – after all, Kellen didn't have anything to be conned out of, save for Talia. When Kellen inquired about this, Dak just smiled.

"Even if I wanted to steal Talia off of you, Twi'Lek slaves, even a Lethan Twi'Lek as beautiful as her, don't sell for much from a private owner."

Kellen had wondered why, and Dak's grin had widened.

"Because…" he said, checking to make sure the two females on board weren't listening in. "There's no guarantee that a private owner hasn't…inspected the goods…"

Kellen blushed profusely. "What!? Why would that matter!?"

Dak just laughed. "Price, for one thing. Pure young girls demand a much higher price in the slave trade."

Kelln looked away, his face still flushed, trying to get the subject back on track. "Still…you could want her for yourself…"

Dak laughed so hard, he nearly fell out of his chair. "Come on, kid, you've met Aldrea! She may have taken Talia under her wing, but do you think she'd like it if I wanted Talia for myself? She'd be unbearable!"

"I heard that!" came a voice from the kitchenette.

"Whoops!" Dak yelped, switching on the auto-pilot and ducking into the head before Aldrea came storming into the cock-pit, ready for a fight.

"Kellen, where is that no-good layabout!? When I get my hands on him…"

Kellen kept his mouth shut, more out of fear than loyalty to Dak.

Those two were an interesting bunch. They would fight like cats and dogs one day, and then other days, like that day they found a little cache of Tusken Raider treasure out in the Dune Sea…

"Kid, you and Talia might wanna vacate the premises…" Dak said, his eyes only on Aldrea, the woman already starting to remove her clothes. "In fact, you might wanna leave the ship. We're about to make a lot of noise…"

Kellen wasted no time in grabbing Talia by the wrist, opening the hatch of the ship and scurrying down the ramp and onto the sand of the Dune Sea, darkening in the fading twilight, latching the hatch behind them. He grumbled – it wasn't safe out in the dessert after sunset. Dak should know better than to send them –

"Why did we have to leave?" Talia said, confused. Aldrea had been ecstatic that their efforts were finally paying off. They had spent the whole day digging and hauling treasures from the Tusken storehouse, filled with loot from their aptly named raids. "Aldrea said we could try on some of the jewelry we found."

Kellen, still blushing from narrowly avoiding being flashed by the aforementioned treasure hunter, just smiled at the red skinned alien girl. "You can try on jewelry with Aldrea later, Talia…right now, Aldrea and Dak need some…private time…"

Aldrea's cheeks seemed to color. Despite her skin being red already, it was still rather obvious. "Oh…" Aldrea had been instructing Talia about the facts of life over the last few weeks, and Talia now had a rather accurate notion of what was going on in the ship.

The fact that Kellen's complexion bore a resemblance to her own at the moment was slightly troubling to the young Twi'Lek.

"Kellen…" she muttered, looking away. "You think Aldrea's pretty…"

Kellen's expression fell. "Talia?"

She bit her lip. "If Kellen prefers Aldrea…that's…I understand…"

Kellen held his hands up, laughing uneasily. "Wait a minute, Talia…I may think she's a looker, but that doesn't mean I'm going to ask her out or anything. Besides, you see how she feels about Dak…"

Talia's spirits didn't seem to lift. "So…if Aldrea wasn't with Dak…?"

Kellen sighed, exasperated. "Look…it's not that simple. Yes, I think Aldrea's pretty. But do you want to know a secret, Talia?"

Talia's eyes sparkled. "A secret? What is it? Tell me!"

Kellen smiled. Mentioning a secret was one of the easiest ways to get Talia's attention. "Do you know _why_ Aldrea treats you so nicely? Why she gives you all these nice clothes and teaches you all these important lessons?"

Talia shook her head, entranced. "Tell me!"

Kellen smiled at her, his blue eyes shining behind his untrimmed locks of gold hair. "Because you're even prettier than Aldrea. You're the most beautiful girl on Tatooine, Talia."

Talia's eyes widened. She blinked a few times. The tips of her head-tails flicked back and forth, looking agitated, sensitive. While she was wearing one of Aldrea's more conservative outfits, she still insisted on wearing her old black leather head decoration that weaved its way around her elongated red tails, catching the dimming light of Tatooine's setting suns.

"Kellen…"

Kellen took a breath. He had been honest, but it had taken all his effort not to shy away from her as the words left his mouth. Whether he should have regretted that he had managed it, or been glad, he was still not entirely sure as Talia practically leaped into his arms, wrapping her arms and legs around him, squeezing him tightly he toppled over into the sand under the unexpected onslaught.

"Kellen! Oh, Kellen!"

Kellen blushed as she clung to him, her lithe form wrapped around him, her weight resting against his lap, her chest making itself known to him even hidden beneath Aldrea's hiking tunic.

"Talia…" Kellen blushed, his composure lost in the attack on his senses.

She smiled at him, her sparkling green eyes speaking only of innocent, honest adoration.

"Kellen…" she breathed, looking up at him. She had explained her story to Aldrea, who had taken it upon herself to rid Talia of her slave-girl teachings and instruct her how to properly treat men, and at the same time, offered her advice on how to win over Kellen in a manner he might be more recipient to.

"Kellen…" she blushed, hoping her lessons would pay off. "Would you…kiss me?"

Kellen was too stunned to properly respond. "Wait…what?"

Talia's eyes fell away. "I…I know you don't think we should share a bed…Aldrea says so too…but…" He blush deepened. "She also said…just a kiss would be more reasonable…"

Kellen blinked, his ears burning as he watched Talia's eyes meet his shyly.

"Just…just a kiss…?" he muttered, turning the idea over in his head.

Since he had rescued Talia (freed, bought, whatever) he had objected to allowing her to try to repay him with her body in any manner, until she learned about the world and grew up enough to make a free-thinking, rational decision. But she had been learning – Aldrea had seen to that. If her feelings were truly…truly genuine…what harm could one kiss cause?

Talia nodded. "I…I really like you, Kellen…and I want to kiss you…" she blushed up at him. "…Please?"

Kellen swallowed hard, his eyes locked on her lips, somehow even redder than her skin – had Aldrea been allowing her use her makeup? Truth be told, he wanted to kiss her, probably even more than she did him. He wanted to do a thousand unspeakable things. And that was the problem. One kiss, and he may lose all ability to stop himself.

But those eyes…those lips…that adorable face that looked up and him and quietly begged for just one simple token of affection…

They were too much to endure.

"One kiss…" he said, holding up a finger, more for his own sake than hers.

Her eyes lit up once more, and she tilted her face up, closing her eyes.

Kellen leaned down and-

"HURGH!"

The war cry startled the two of them, sending them both scrambling to their feet. Kellen blanched as he saw seven Tusken Raiders, angry at having been robbed of their spoils, waving around their gaffi sticks in a menacing fashion that indicated the singular purpose of reclaiming their property and destroying those that relieved them of it.

"Talia! Get back to the ship!" Kellen shouted, drawing his stun baton. "Get Dak! Go!"

Talia just stood behind Kellen, clutching his shoulders, quivering in fear.

"Talia!" Kellen shouted, panic overtaking him.

He turned to face the Sand People, who were already charging them, gaffi sticks raised.

"No!" Kellen wrapped his arms around Talia to protect her from the coming onslaught. He heard Talia's squeal of alarm inside his arms, and wrapped around her even tighter, determined to keep them off her.

"HURGH!"

The Tusken Raider let out an abrupt cry as they were swept off their feet and hurdled back away from Kellen and Talia, landing unceremoniously on their backs. The attack had come out of nowhere, and they could not see who had struck them. The Tusken Raiders were fighters though, and quickly regained their footing, and were soon charging again.

BLAM! BLAM!

The hatch of the Morning Star had opened, and Dak stood their with his blaster drawn in one hand and his pants held up with his other.

"Do you mind keeping it down out here, kid?" he joked as if he had to deal with this sort of thing on a regular basis, taking aim and firing at the Sand People again, not aiming to hit them, but doing plenty to scare them off in the other direction. "We're kind of in the middle of something…"

Kellen was still holding Talia protectively, not understanding entirely what was going on. "Dak…what…what happened?"

The smuggler grumbled. "I'll tell you what happened – the missus was just about to show me some appreciation, when you guys had to go and get yourselves shot at by some irritated locals. But, I suppose it's my fault for sending you out here after sunset. Come on in – we've taken it to the bedroom anyhow…"

Kellen was too confused to object or complain in any fashion. One minute, the Sand People had been about to beat them to death, and the next minute they had been flung back ten meters. And that was _before_ Dak had shot at them. It'd hadn't been his doing…

Kellen stared at his hands.

Had it been himself?

"Baby…" a honeyed voice came from Dak's bed chamber, a leg waving seductively by the door. "I'm waiting…"

Dak ushered the two of them into the cockpit where there'd be less noise, before wandering back to the source of the voice, turning only to say. "Oh, and kid? You've got some serious bolts. Were you seriously about to take on a bunch of Sand People with a stun baton? First thing we do when we get back to Mos Espa is get you a blaster."

"Dak!" came Aldrea's slightly irritated voice. "Get that tight rear of yours in here before I get up and drag you in here myself!"

Dak grinned mischievously. "Gotta go!"

Kellen and Talia were still too shaken to react to Dak and Aldrea's rather overt copulation. Letting Talia sit in the pilot seat, Kellen found a blanket and wrapped it around Talia's shoulders.

"You alright?" Kellen asked, sitting in the copilot's seat beside her.

Talia was still shaking. But she turned up to look at Kellen, smiling weakly. "I think so…just a little scared…"

Kellen bit his lip, and wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep her warm, and shake off his own fears.

"How did that happen?" Kellen asked, not really expecting her to be able to offer an explanation. "How did those Tusken Raiders get flung away from us like that? It's almost like what happened in that alleyway in Mos Espa. Is someone watching out for us from on high or something?"

Talia had no answer. She just continued to shake, but she leaned against Kellen with all her strength, clinging to him as best as she could while wrapped in a blanket.

"Hey…" Kellen caressed one of her long, twitching head-tails. Talia closed her eyes, inhaling sharply. Kellen suddenly remembered reading how sensitive a Twi'Lek's head tails were, and withdrew his hand.

"Oh…I'm sorry…"

Talia bit her lip. She was blushing again. He could tell she wanted something badly, but had lost all the strength needed to ask for it.

He swallowed.

"We, uh…never did finish that kiss…" he offered, his cheeks coloring.

Talia inhaled again, looking at him with wide eyes. "Kellen, I…" her eyes lowered. "You don't have to if you don't want to…"

Kellen lifted her chin with one hand, his other returning to where it been, stroking a single finger along the length of one of her trembling tails. She closed her eyes, blushing harder than ever as she let out a shallow whimper, her lower lip quivering.

"But I _do_ want to, Talia…" Kellen smiled. His fingers made their way to the very tip of her tail, pinching it gently. Talia began to shake harder, her jaw dropping in a silent moan, a tiny voice escaping.

"…Kellen…"

She leaned in closer to him, allowing him to press his lips against hers. Tears of joy ran down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around Kellen's broad shoulders. He deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist, his hands circling around her tails, drawing excited moans from her twisting form.

Their lips parted, but Talia leaned closer, urging for another more passionate kiss. It took all the steel in Kellen's mind not to respond to her.

"It's late, Talia…" he cupped her cheek, smiling at her, biting his own lip. "You should go to bed…"

Talia said nothing as he helped her to her feet and walked to her room. A dull thud and loud crash sounded from Dak's room. They ignored it.

"Kellen…" Talia whimpered as they reached her door, clinging to his wrist, pleadingly. "Please…stay with me?"

Kellen's heart nearly broke at the look of unfettered love in her eyes.

"I'll always be with you, Talia…" he kissed her hand, longing to kiss her everywhere else. "Goodnight…"

She swallowed hard as she watched him walk away, disappearing into his own room. They both retreated to their beds alone, their bodies aching for each other. Talia tried to take comfort in Aldrea's lessons, that Kellen was a timid boy by nature, and would need time before he was ready to open up to her. And in a situation like hers, he didn't feel it was right to indulge in her desires. Talia was not a fool. She could tell Kellen wanted her. Both Aldrea's lessons and her slave teachings had taught her to recognize carnal tides in men's emotions. But Kellen was a good man, too good to take advantage of her just because of how she was raised. And as she exercised another of Aldrea's lessons alone in bed that night, she reminded herself that it wasn't because she herself was not good enough, as her feelings inevitably told her…

But that good things were worth waiting for…


End file.
